Adventures in Agriculture

Ten Years

A classmate from high school put out a call over Facebook for someone to start organizing our 10 year reunion. Have I really been out of high school for ten years? Nothing like a reunion to make you feel old, right?

Life looked so different ten years ago. For starters, I actually had a plan. Go to college. Go to law school. Land a job with a big firm. Conquer/save the world. Good plan, right? That plan (and the general belief that I’d actually achieve it) got me voted “Most Likely to Succeed.” Yep, I was that class nerd.

Somewhere in the last ten years something went horribly wrong. Or fortuitously right depending on how you look at it. I managed the college part of the plan, but it all unraveled from there. One small detour led to another and before long I threw the plan out the window completely.

By the world’s standards, I am far from successful. There isn’t a lot of money to be made in farming and farmers aren’t a powerful or prestigious lot. Farmer stereotypes are far from flattering. And I’ve thrown my lot in with them for the foreseeable future.

Many of my friends went to law school. Or med school or grad school. They own houses. They are married. They have kids. Their lives are on the “American dream” fast track. I don’t have any of that. No higher degree, no property, no husband or children. All those things by which we measure success are conspicuously missing from my life. You know what? That’s OK.

Sure, there are days when I wonder what life would be like had I stuck to the plan and gone to law school. Maybe I would have loved it. Maybe not. I made choices and people made choices for me that led me to where I am today. And I like it here.

My life is full of fresh air and sunrises, good food and kind people. I love what I do. I genuinely believe in Wyebrook’s mission to provide high-quality, locally-produced food. It’s more than a job; it’s my passion. What more could you ask for in life?

Am I successful? I like to think so. I’m happy and shouldn’t that be the standard by which we measure success? Plus, I’m only 27. There’s still plenty of time to conquer the world. I’m just finding a different way to get there.

5 thoughts on “Ten Years”

Becca from the picnic just over a year ago (?) and Becca today sound like two completely different people. Good on you for having the courage to take the path YOU needed to take. I’m enjoying hearing about your adventures and looking forward to seeing where they lead.